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Fast food marketing is a moving target that you must keep up with to keep your own company competitive. All marketing for restaurant owners changes and evolves as concepts are introduced and markets respond to consumer demand and changing economies.
Follow trends affecting free restaurant marketing plans that are promoted through public relations campaigns. Watch the advertising of your competitors so that you can come up with comparable deals. Stay on top of consumer spending trends when marketing a restaurant so that you can thrive through any local economic issues affecting the communities in which you have properties. Look for restaurant marketing news and trends from a variety of resources to get a complete picture of the latest developments.
1. Get headline news that affects the restaurant marketing plans that you have in place.
2. Participate in associations for marketing a restaurant to find additional information about a restaurant marketing strategy that could work for you.
3. Subscribe to publications that follow trends for restaurant marketing tips.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Watch for restaurant headlines that drive restaurant marketing strategies
By following important news in the restaurant industry, you can get a feel for the kinds of marketing campaigns that could prove most effective. In the restaurant business, marketing is often reactive and must be flexible to react appropriately to news about food, nutrition and sales that are going on around the country.
I recommend: QSR Magazine is a great source of industry news and information, particularly for fast food marketing. Nation's Restaurant News combs the headlines nationwide to bring you the top stories that affect the industry.
Join restaurant marketing strategy groups that give members additional industry insight
Find an organization that provides news and trend information about the restaurant industry in general. You should also look at the groups that give niche restaurant owners and marketing firms commentary and analysis on which they can base their advertising and promotions, as well as receive valuable restaurant marketing ideas.
I recommend: As a member of the National Restaurant Association, you’ll have access to a number of publications that can help you with your marketing efforts. Download the newsletters produced by the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs to follow trends in the industry from the organization that promotes women in the field.
Read about the latest restaurant niche marketing news in detailed reports
Find articles that provide information that help you spot trends in marketing for the restaurant and hospitality industries. Watch consumer spending reports and general economic features. Look for surveys and reports that comment on demographics and nutritional trends that you can take advantage of when planning your marketing strategies.
I recommend: Stay in touch with all the most recent developments with the Restaurant News Resource. Brandweek provides readers with the kinds of news articles they need to remain competitive in the field.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- • Read publications and websites that can bring even more news about the surge in online restaurant marketing and how it's working for the industry as a whole.
Guide to Restaurant Marketing
Build a successful restaurant marketing strategy using tried-and-true resources
By R.N. Dolgener, Special Education Teacher
The restaurant marketing industry is a varied one, requiring a marketing program that employs local market research, creative marketing and advertising for company branding. In today's market, you can build your brand, your ad mix and your assessment tools using online resources, but remember that your time is your most valuable asset when running your own business. Leave the restaurant marketing to the pros.
Whether you're new to restaurant promotion, or have made a career providing restaurant marketing ideas, your focus can range from very specific to a generalized campaign:
1. Employ restaurant niche marketing agencies who specialize in branding. Bring them in before you name your business for the best results.
2. Combine marketing a restaurant with research and experienced ad-buying pros. It's a mix that promises a solid return on investment.
3. Use a restaurant marketing plan with market research and assessment tools to design and evaluate your efforts.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Use restaurant niche marketing to build or reinvent your company's image
Any restaurant marketing firms serving eateries that are just starting out, or renewing the brand of an existing cafe, should focus on branding the restaurant name first. Your brand will then encompass your logo, website design and menu design and Web presence. Fast food marketing is a profitable and well-establishpromotion, but most fast food chains have their own franchise marketing plans that don't allow much customization.
I recommend: Partner with the niche restaurant specialists at Vigor Branding to optimize your plan for marketing in the restaurant industry. If you're considering a brand renewal campaign, view a before-and-after web branding portfolio at restaurantidentity.com.
Employ a modern advertising mix when marketing for restaurant startup
Traditional advertising media are quickly becoming ineffective, and the wise marketing professional knows that the best new market is electronic. Online restaurant marketing is the latest avenue to reach more and more consumers, and emerging m-commerce technologies will require even more technological upgrades in the near future to fit this platform. Target the e-commerce market in partnership with professionals who are helping it grow, and surge ahead of your competitors with online reservations, coupons and special promotions.
I recommend: Keep emerging media in your ad mix with the restaurant marketing experts at Quantified Marketing Group. Request a report on local Internet restaurant searches from Restaurant Internet Marketing.com, a company that specializes in Web and e-commerce restaurant marketing and also provides the services of SEO For Restaurants.
Assess your campaign using restaurant marketing research services
Today's restaurant marketing services make the most of innovative target marketing through surveys. Survey your patrons -- and potential patrons -- and adjust your campaign and offerings to reflect their values and interests.
I recommend: Research your local restaurant marketing services options using customized reports from Restaurant Marketing Group. Get specific answers about your facility's marketing program with customized fine dining assessment tools from Restaurant Surveys.com.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- • There's no need to reinvent the wheel to make restaurant advertising campaigns successful. Find a campaign you like and head straight to the source -- meet with the restauranteurs and the marketers who developed the campaign, glean some restaurant marketing tips, and adopt their plan to fit your business needs.
When you’re marketing a restaurant to ensure its success, you’ll need a solid game plan. The best advertising and promotional efforts will draw customers in without putting too much of a dent in your marketing budget.
By seeking out restaurant marketing education and training, you’ll gain restaurant marketing ideas to develop new strategies to boost your business. Discover tactics like positioning, email advertising and local marketing to help you promote your restaurant. For restaurant marketing education and training:
- Join an industry group or program aimed at teaching restaurateurs how to handle restaurant marketing more successfully.
- Sign up for seminars and workshops presented by industry experts or restaurant marketing firms aimed at marketing for restaurant success.
- Find online resources, training opportunities and study courses to help you with marketing skills like restaurant niche marketing and restaurant marketing strategy.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Participate in associations or groups that can help you develop a restaurant marketing plan
By working with industry insiders and other restaurant owners and managers, you'll learn from their expertise to make your business a success. Look for groups that can help you generate a marketing strategy to attract new customers, encourage repeat business and even increase revenues by maximizing the amount of each guest check.
I recommend: Marketing Your Restaurant gives you access to restaurant marketing articles, spreadsheets, product downloads and a private forum where you can get restaurant marketing tips from fellow restaurateurs. Join the National Restaurant Association to gain helpful education and advice through marketing training events, discussions with the National Restaurant Association Marketing Executives Group and access to helpful marketing ideas like the Fishbowl Online Marketing Solutions.
Attend conferences or online restaurant marketing seminars to hone your business strategy
Whether you're developing a business strategy for an upscale restaurant or looking into fast food marketing for a smaller establishment, business seminars will show you how to take advantage of special promotions and optimize your advertising dollar.
I recommend: Find networking opportunities at a Finance and Development conference hosted by Franchise Times. Even if you aren’t marketing a restaurant franchise, you’ll be able to apply the advertising, financial and expansion tips to your business. Listen to audio seminars at your convenience through Running Restaurants. Restaurant marketing ideas and topics include Internet marketing, publicity tips and restaurant public relations.
Seek out places to get additional restaurant promotion and marketing education online
Online study courses can help you boost the success of your restaurant marketing tips and tactics by receiving formal training in restaurant advertising and promotion. Since you'll complete most study courses at your own pace, you'll be able to operate your restaurant and improve your skills and marketing efforts at the same time.
I recommend: Find marketing study courses to develop skills that will help when marketing your restaurant. Education Portal provides a list of sources for online courses that you can complete while still running your business. California Virtual Campus offers online courses in restaurant sales and marketing to improve your restaurant promotion, service and advertising.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- • As you attend industry conventions or restaurant business seminars, get free restaurant marketing ideas by talking to the other restaurant managers and owners in attendance. Discuss successful (and unsuccessful) advertising campaigns and promotional ideas to find bits of information to use as springboards for new ideas.
Restaurant marketing is vital to the health of a restaurant business. Whether the restaurant is getting ready to launch or it is a neighborhood mainstay, it is imperative to stay relevant in the customer's mind through marketing.
Take the time to learn some of the terms associated with restaurant marketing. That way when you have to implement a marketing strategy, you'll be up to speed on the lingo. Here are a few of those terms along with some other resources to help get you started.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Focus group moderating
Focus group moderating refers to a process where a restaurant marketing consulting firm will assemble a panel of patrons and ask them both quantitative and qualitative questions about their experience dining at the restaurant. The results from that analysis are then implemented into a marketing strategy and other restaurant improvements.
I recommend: Visit the website for Restaurant Marketing Group for additional information on how focus group moderating operates.
Restaurant POS systems
A Restaurant POS (point of sale) System refers to the software application that many restaurants use that track everything from reservations to inventory. In terms of marketing, these software applications help track the use of customer reward programs, coupons and other marketing campaign efforts.
I recommend: Quantified Marketing has additional information on Restaurant POS systems, how they operate and how they may be incorporated into marketing campaigns.
Restaurant bounceback coupons
Restaurant bounceback coupons refer to coupons that are given to customers after a visit to the restaurant that encourages them to 'bounceback' to the restaurant a second time because of the savings offered on a coupon. A two for one entree bounceback coupon is a common example.
I recommend: Visit the website Food Service Warehouse for additional information on a multitude of restaurant marketing strategies, including the use of bounceback coupons.
Mobile coupons
Mobile coupons refer to coupons which are sent to a cell phone or PDA. These coupons can be interactive in nature requiring a 'text-back' or the customer may just need to show them to the restaurant in order to receive the discount.
I recommend: Visit the website for QSR Magazine. They cover the business of fast food and cafe dining experiences for more information on mobile coupons and various marketing strategies that may accompany mobile coupons to increase your bottom line.
Branding
Branding refers to the concept of taking a name, symbol, sign, logo or slogan and consistently associating it with your restaurant so that when the consumer sees or hears any of the associated elements, they immediately think of your restaurant. An example is the McDonald's golden arches. A consumer can see the yellow arches over the horizon and instinctively know a McDonald's is down the road.
I recommend: The Restaurant Report has more information on branding your restaurant and how it relates to various marketing strategies.
Competitive analysis
Competitive analysis refers to the process of gathering competitor information such as sales figures, menu options, coupons and other facets of restaurant operation. This information is then compared to your own restaurant operation. Given the results, marketing campaigns are derived to highlight your restaurant's strengths based on all of the information gathered.
I recommend: Visit the website for All Food Business for additional information on competitive analysis and other restaurant marketing key terms.
